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Kashmir (game)
Kashmir was a game hosted by SouthernKing. Based on NES architecture, it was designed to play as a longue durée empire-builder set in the early Medieval era, and was a redux of sorts of his first NES, Architecture of Aggression. Signups began late January 2015 with the game proper launching early February. It lasted five months and six turns before SouthernKing cancelled it, citing fundamental flaws in the mechanics. Kashmir has its own wiki. Gameplay The game began in 500 AD with a hard-locked history up until Alexander the Great's death in 323 BC. Each turn represented an interval of 25 years, intended to narrow as the timeline progressed; as such, turn orders encouraged grand strategy and long-term planning, and even sequential sub-orders to be conducted within the turn. Updates were intended to occur bi-weekly; missing orders was considered the onset of "decadence", leading to consequent in character upheaval. Players could join anywhere within the Old World including the west Pacific; the Americas were later blacked out on the map but were hinted to possibly unlock in the late game. Government and Stability Players described their starting government style and named, where applicable, the ruling faction or dynasty; while individual rulers were not tracked in official game stats, political marriages and inheritance were viable mechanics. Players were expected to abide by historical geopolitical constraints, with highly bureaucratic societies focused around the Mediterranean, East Asia, and the Indo-Gangeatic Plain. Government could change over time both through direct reforms and general evolution of the realm's political tradition. Stability represented general cohesion within the realm and the effectiveness of state institutions, ranging from 3 to -3. High stability increased economic efficiency and lowered the risk of armed rebellion; if at any time stability fell below -3, the government would collapse outright. Initial stability was informed by core claims and "Reach Lands", or total desired starting territory, with larger empires less stable. Economy Kashmir employed an EP-based economy that included upkeep costs. Revenue was generated from three sources: Rural (agricultural production), Urban (craftsmen and industry), and international trade. Investment in the first two sectors and establishment of new trade routes would increase the productivity of each respective field. Revenue was also affected by several non-stated factors. Empires could sack rival territory for immediate income often surmounting peaceful revenue streams. Cities were originally planned to be marked on the map and be capable of specializing in one of three fields, but this was dropped when the game launched. Projects EP could be invested into any specialized undertaking, dubbed Projects, which typically required multiple turns and had unique effects. Proposals were submitted to the game moderator, who determined exact costs and bonuses. Religion In addition to state and/or the ruling dynasty's religion, statistics were kept on the percentage of practiced faiths within an empire, in increments of 5%. Minority faiths had a loyalty rating of 1–5 that was altered through state policy both positively and negatively. In general, loyalty of dominant versus minority faiths operated in an inverse relationship. While a determined player could eventually eliminate all minority faiths through several methods, the time, resources, and political fallout required could prove ill worth the cost. Development Development was an at-a-glance benchmark of a country's sophistication in several fields. Unlike technology in other games, development levels could not be bought outright, but could be encouraged through various indirect means. As a rule of thumb, the pinnacle of development corresponded to the number of the present century, i.e. at game's start the most cutting-edge countries would have development scores of 6. Development was subdivided between: * Land: equipment and tactics of the army, improving combat performance; * Navy: shipbuilding and naval tactics, but also general navigation competence on rivers and open ocean. Increased seaborne combat performance, operational range of all ships, and revenue from sea trade; * Economy: Advances in agricultural, industrial, architectural and bureaucratic efficiency. Increased rural and trade revenue and encouraged urban development; * Culture: Art, literature, philosophy and science. Cultural bonuses were more abstract but conveyed powerful boosts to a country's Prestige rating. Military and Combat Countries did not maintain standing armies, but instead had a "force limit" representing the maximum land army that could be levied locally, determined by 2r (Rural income) + 3u (Urban income). Land units included infantry companies (2 EP), cavalry companies (3 EP), and siege trains (5 EP). Exceeding the force limit required hiring mercenary companies; while these cost 1 EP each, they also incurred 1-EP-per-turn maintenance for as long as they remained active, and failure to pay risked them deserting and becoming brigands. Local forces incurred no upkeep. Naval squadrons cost 2 EP and were not subject to a force limit, although every 5 squads incurred 1 EP in upkeep. Squadrons served strictly as warships, and transport logistics were handled automatically. Combat was conducted through war plans to the GM. Due to the timescale, players were advised to approach each turn as a self-contained campaign. General strategy was encouraged over micromanagement, and allocating EP toward logistics was suggested for non-nomadic players. SK also warned that player countries could be defeated in a single turn. Diplomacy In addition to player-derived NPCs, several petty states and chiefdoms were included as aggregate grey swaths on the map, representing buffer zones and frontier territories. Player diplomacy was conducted through typical in-thread exchanges with the notable difference that formal declarations of war were not considered meaningful. Prestige Prestige was to serve as a country's relative scorecard. Prestige was increased through major achievements such as valour in combat, great monuments, and major works of art and science; likewise, it was lowered through military competence, social stagnation, and general decadence. It was not listed in the rules of the game thread and appears to have been dropped. External links * Kashmir signup thread * Game thread * Kashmir Wiki Category:Medieval games Category:Kashmir IOT